


Judgment

by Nanna_Jemima



Series: The Witcher Modern AU - prompt fics [1]
Category: Wiedźmin | The Witcher (Video Game), Wiedźmin | The Witcher - All Media Types, Wiedźmin | The Witcher Series - Andrzej Sapkowski
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Dark, Gen, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Prompt Fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-19
Updated: 2016-08-19
Packaged: 2018-08-09 20:08:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,861
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7815382
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nanna_Jemima/pseuds/Nanna_Jemima
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Prompt for Eskel and the Cat: "What would happen if they argued?" Eskel is on a trail and comes across an old acquaintance. Things turn unpleasant.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Judgment

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Lost_in_thoughts](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lost_in_thoughts/gifts).



The trail had led him to one of the districts of condemned buildings. Most cities had them these days, witch hunts and pogroms having curbed the population dramatically. They were never completely abandoned, of course, frequently home to squatters of all kinds, some a great deal less benevolent than others. The complete lack of street lights bore witness to how the district had already been given up by the city council, it was impossible to tell whether they were turned off or had simply all been broken.

Eskel didn't care. He had other things on his mind. Besides, the low-hanging clouds reflected the massive lights from other parts of the city and cast a ghostly illumination over the cityscape. He could see well enough for what he had to work with.

An address, a torn piece of cloth, an odd scent, and a weird symbol; or rather half of a weird symbol on the torn piece of cloth.

He had no idea what to make of the latter two, yet, so he had started with the address ad the search for that was currently leading him deeper into the officially abandoned – but visibly still very much lived in – district of the city.

Memorizing the route to the address had been the wise choice, because there was not a single street sign to be seen. His arrival at the right street was confirmed by nothing other than his memory telling him this was it. He turned right, hoping there would be a discernible number somewhere near his destination.

Or even better: A scent. The odd scent he had come across at one of the scenes tickled his nose. It was very faint, but it was there. He followed it, weaving briefly into alleyways and back out to make sure he didn't miss a turn.

The scent became stronger at the gate through to the yard of one of the dilapidated housing blocks. The passage through the building and into the yard was pitch black and even he had to strain to see anything at all.

Standing there by the corner of the black maw of the old yellowstone building he instead listened for hints of any goings-on. There was a fight taking place somewhere in there; a fist-fight as far as he could tell. The dull smacks of knuckles hitting skin was familiar enough to him. He didn't want to get involved with any such thing, but the scent was clearly sharper in there, so he hoped he could get in, investigate, and get out again without running afoul of any locals having a spat – territorial or otherwise.

He passed through the dark tunnel deciding to forego the use of a Cat Potion. He could see the other end of it and gambled that nothing untowards would assail him halfways. In the yard, equally as bleak and run-down as everything else in the neighbourhood, he quickly identified a number of beings huddled along walls and in nooks. At the far end was a weak source of light and a fight taking place.

He would ignore it for as long as he could and decided to move about looking as unassuming and surreptitious as the 'natives'. Walking tall and looking like he had a right to be here would probably ruffle feathers.

Luck was not with him; the scent led him straight in the direction of the fighting individuals. As he slowly approached he took stock of them. It wasn't a fight, though it might have started out that way. By now it was wholly one-sided and consisted of one person – the smaller one – pummeling the bigger one and once in a while leaning in. He could only make out hissed whispers, and terrified pleading. This wasn't a fight, it was an interrogation, and not a pretty one at that – the coppery smell of blood became stronger as he neared, and all of a sudden he recognised another scent as well.

He flew forward and yanked the interrogator away from the man who slowly sank to the ground in a shuddering heap.

“What the fuck is going on?” He demanded of her.

Slitted pupils looked back in anger. “Stay out of it, wolf, it doesn't concern you.” She made another grab at her victim, but he placed his left arm against the wall and blocked her way.

“The fuck are doing, cat? You intend to pummel him to death?”

“If I must,” she hissed through clenched teeth, “now stay. Out. Of. My. Way!” She ducked under his arm and lunged at the man, who had been trying to get his feet back under himself.

The cat lifted him up, shoved him against the wall and Eskel winced at the crack, when the back of the wispy-haired head hit the bricks. “I know you know, so fucking tell me or I swear you'll regret ever being born.”

The look in the panicked man's eyes were pretty clear about that having already come to pass.

Eskel placed a hand on her shoulder urging her to calm down. “Dammit, cat, I can't just watch this. There has to be a better way.”

“Tried it already, so don't watch and let me handle this. Talk, you fucker!”

“B- b- but I can't. They'll kill me.” The man's fingers clutched spasmodically at her arms.

“So will I if you don't. Where. Are. They?! Answer me!” She shoved him against the stones again.

Eskel intervened again, placing himself next to them, ready to intercept any punches she might throw. “Stop it. He's obviously too afraid.”

“He fucking better be, now stop interfering, wolf. It's not your fucking business,” she as good as snarled at him. The man was about to partake in their exchange, but her hand found his throat and cut off his air-supply just enough to make speech too uncomfortable to try.

“I'm making it my business. This is not the way, cat. This is beneath you.” He grabbed her wrist, not yet pulling her away, but making it clear he would.

Her eyes flickered to his. “No. It really isn't. You know nothing of this.”

“But I know something of you.”

“Fuck off and let me finish. You can preach later.”

The man, moving faster than Eskel had anticipated he would be able to, threw something at the cat's face. She swore, lost her grip on his throat, and looked away to clear her eyes, while the man made a run for it. Even blinded a witcher was not so easily out-matched and she was quickly on him again, taking him down with a single, hard kick to his left knee. He stayed down this time. Mostly because she placed her booted heel at a particularly mean angle on his ankle and pushed down.

“Do not go crawling off. I'm not done with you, you piece of shit,” she threatened.

She turned back to Eskel. “Alright, so you're not in the mood for waiting. Preach now and be done with it.”

“Relax, cat-” he began.

“No. I will not relax, until I am done here, and right now you're keeping me from being done. So get to the fucking point, wolf.”

“I would if you would stop pummeling a man to death. What are you doing that for?”

“He has information I need. I thought that was obvious.”

Eskel rolled his eyes. “No shit. Is it really so important that this is the way to go about it?”

She crossed her arms. “What does it fucking look like?”

“It looks like you're enjoying it far more than you should be if it's just business,” he accused her.

“And so fucking what if I am? I sure as shit never claimed to be a moral compass among witchers, but believe me when I say, this piece of filth,” she gestured behind her, “he deserves everything I've given him and more.” The venom in her voice left Eskel with no doubts as to her sincerity.

“Dammit, cat, you're better than this.”

Her intense gaze bored into his. “No, wolf. I really am not, and you know it.” She slowly stalked closer to him, moving every bit like the predator she was – that all witchers had the capacity of being. It unnerved him more than it should. “And even if I were better than this,” her choice of tense wasn't lost on Eskel, “that degenerate shit does not deserve any better.”

As close as she was now, Eskel could see how, whatever the man had thrown in her face, had irritated her sclera to a bloody red. He wasn't entirely sure she wasn't still partially blinded, but she was looking straight at him nonetheless.

“No one deserves being pummeled to death.”

“See that's where you're wrong, wolf. This one, if he really insists on resisting, deserves exactly that. If not worse. But I'll settle for beating him to a bloody pulp.” She turned away, but Eskel stopped her.

“I won't let you,” he quietly asserted, before he could go for the whimpering mess on the ground again.

Instead it was his head that cracked against the brick wall. “You would choose to be my enemy over worthless scum like him?”

“As long as you haven't given me a better fucking reason, yes.” He quietly pondered if he would actually have the time to draw a blade before she could place a knife in his throat. He had his doubts – even if she didn't currently have any knives drawn.

Her eyes, yellow and red, were pools of seething hatred and disgust.

“Two words, wolf,” she finally said. ”Two words: Child disappearances.” As if that were explanation enough.

“Guess we're on the same case, then,” he offered. “And you think this man knows where the monster is hiding?”

She shook her head and looked over her shoulder, Eskel followed the direction of glance. The man was gone.

“I don't think he knows. I know he knows, because he's involved. It's not a monster. It's a gang. Of people.”

And then things made sense. The scent, how it had matched partially with the man's. The symbol, the gang. She cast one last look at him, before turning away.

“Congratulations, wolf. The only monsters in this entire mess are humans, and you just forced me to let one of them go. I hope you sleep really fucking well tonight. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go try and get some work done. Without interference.” She started walking towards the exit from the yard.

“Wanna team up?” He asked. “We might as well, since we're on the same case.”

“Yeah, with you trusting my judgment like that, I can see we'd make for an absolute terrific team.”

“Oh come on, cat, how was I supposed to know what he was?”

She looked at him over her shoulder, showing him the good side of her face. It was a dark look she gave him however. “You're the one who insisted I was better than that. I wonder if you actually believe your own words.”

Eskel had no response to that, and he watched mutely as she crossed the yard and disappeared into the shadows.

 


End file.
